Gaz down in Streatham

[gaz]

thankyou. It's taken me a while to get to this, but it was worth the trawl. The law can do with the fault thing. The 'could Gaz have done anything different' bit is a different thing entirely.

Which junction was this on Gaz?

Hobart road (sp). The one opposite the ice rink or the first left after the traffic lights by the train station when travelling south.

 

[dellzeqq]

Oh - and I've no problem with Lee's cycling. Other than when I'm chasing him down at five in the morning.

 

[BentMikey]

I think the bus lane is usually the better option than filtering on the offside, 400bhp. Those of us who ride in London go through thousands of situations similar to this, although mostly with no contact.


Here's one I had, with the driver looking down in his footwell, which explains why he could not see a MaXx-D 4 x 3W front LED headlight on flash:

[media]
]View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVFAyNaozCo[/media]

 

[BentMikey]

Oh - and I've no problem with Lee's cycling. Other than when I'm chasing him down at five in the morning.

Oh, I did say he's a good cyclist, didn't I? He's just rather more of a riskophile than Gaz, making his comments on here ill-judged and hypocritical I think.

 

[gaz]

(Gaz will probably react to this by saying that Streathamudlians are just naturally thick, and should not be used for reproductive purposes, but, Gaz, if we are so thick, why do you traverse our fine suburb?)

And get well soon

Are Croydonians any smarter?
Unfortunately streatham neighbours the amazing Croydon. And if I want to head into central London, it is the fastest way. Otherwise I avoid at all costs

 

[dellzeqq]

Hopton Road? Just around the corner. You should have popped in for tea.

I know this will all sound a bit far-fetched to some of you, but there is, in my opinion, a character to some roads. Whether it's because Streatham High Road is so jammed up so much of the time, or whether it is because the populace aren't that bright, or whether there are so few cyclists on the road (compared to the A24) cyclists don't seem to figure in the imagination of drivers turning right - indeed drivers, taken as a whole, seem just a few spark plugs short of a cylinder block.

Tarte Tatin was 'right-hooked' outside Norbury Station.

I genuinely do take it much, much easier along parts of Streatham High Road than I do on (say) Clapham Road.

 

[As Easy As Riding A Bike]

Out of curiosity, are motorbikes allowed to use this bus lane? I shudder to think of the consequences of the same collision occurring with a motorbike travelling at a slightly higher speed than Gaz.

And - without wishing to delve too much into stereotypes - I would echo the question raised by someone above, about what kind of licence this guy held, given his complete lack of English.

 

[dellzeqq]

Are Croydonians any smarter?
Unfortunately streatham neighbours the amazing Croydon. And if I want to head into central London, it is the fastest way. Otherwise I avoid at all costs

it's a close-run thing. On average I'd say that our knuckles are a little closer to the ground. And our eyebrows that little bit more mono.

 

[dellzeqq]

Out of curiosity, are motorbikes allowed to use this bus lane? I shudder to think of the consequences of the same collision occurring with a motorbike travelling at a slightly higher speed than Gaz.

And - without wishing to delve too much into stereotypes - I would echo the question raised by someone above, about what kind of licence this guy held, given his complete lack of English.

Well, a high proportion of Streatham Vale residents have little or no English. And, since a lot of them drive mini-cabs, it may be that they have licenses.

Motorbikes are a boon on the A23 bus lane. They enable one to travel at a steady 29mph at some fifteen yards behind them. It works for me. As in it really has worked for me. Keerrrr-annngggg.

I entirely appreciate that a lot of cyclists don't want them in the bus lanes, and I'd support that entirely, but if you want to travel quickly then they offer that little bit of front-facing protection.

 

[As Easy As Riding A Bike]

What I meant was whether it is even possible to get a UK driving licence if you can't speak English? The examiner will be telling you what to do - if you can't understand him/her, it's going to be a little difficult. Ditto the theory test.

 

[campbellab]

You dont always need to requalify with a UK license, definitely not if you are european, and you can have international ones transferred?

 

[gaz]

Hopton Road? Just around the corner. You should have popped in for tea.

I know this will all sound a bit far-fetched to some of you, but there is, in my opinion, a character to some roads. Whether it's because Streatham High Road is so jammed up so much of the time, or whether it is because the populace aren't that bright, or whether there are so few cyclists on the road (compared to the A24) cyclists don't seem to figure in the imagination of drivers turning right - indeed drivers, taken as a whole, seem just a few spark plugs short of a cylinder block.

Tarte Tatin was 'right-hooked' outside Norbury Station.

I genuinely do take it much, much easier along parts of Streatham High Road than I do on (say) Clapham Road.

As you live in the area, you are clearly aware of the cycling traffic numbers through streatham. It is very low in comparison to other main roads in the surrounding area. And i think this has a big part to play in this.
As you say/do, in this area i take a little bit more ease as i know these things can happen and drivers won't think about cyclists if there isn't one wizzing past every 10 seconds. But it wasn't enough ease in this case to make a difference.

 

[dellzeqq]

well, if the mini-cab drivers have licenses it must be possible - somehow.

(I suppose it could be the case that the driver's lack of English was affected, at least in part).

 

[Dan B]

I'd be surprised if you can't arrange to have an interpreter present when you sit your driving test

 

[benb]

I suppose it could be the case that the driver's lack of English was affected, at least in part

Affected by what?